God is Love (Deus Caritas Est)- (Catholic Theology)With Pope Benedict XVI the Church is gifted with another pontiff who brings his unique voice and theological gifts to the printed page. In his first encyclical, God Is Love, promulgated on Christmas Day, 2005, Benedict XVI expounds on the reality of love. He knows that the word “love” has been distorted and its meaning tarnished and this letter calls us back to the foundational truths about love. In the first part, Pope Benedict, ever the professor, provides some philosophical background as he instructs on the three kinds of love: philia (family, friends), eros (sensual), and agape (unconditional, self-sacrificing). In the second half, a seamless unity emerges between the contemplation of love and the action it requires as Pope Benedict XVI teaches about the Church’s role in communicating Christ’s love to a wounded world. Throughout we are invited to a deeper relationship with Christ through prayer and devotion to the saints who precede us in the path of love.